Israel's escalated offensive in Gaza is complicating compromises in the negotiations on a ceasefire, warns a representative of the terrorist-stamped movement Hamas.
The renewed talks in Qatar are expected to begin on Wednesday.
Israel's delegation has indeed traveled to Doha, reports Israeli media.
The delegation consists of the heads of the intelligence and security services, as well as Major General Nitzan Alon. They will hold meetings with American, Qatari, and Egyptian representatives.
The newspaper Haaretz describes the meetings as "decisive" in the attempts to reach an agreement between Israel and the terrorist-stamped Hamas, possibly already in the coming days.
Three Phases
In recent days, Israel has stepped up its offensive in Gaza. At the same time, deadly attacks that have hit several school buildings used as shelters by displaced Palestinians have sparked sharp criticism from, among others, Germany and France.
Israel is trying to "put pressure on the negotiations" through the escalated fighting, claims Hamas representative Hossam Badran in an interview with the AFP news agency.
The "continued massacres will only make us stand firm on our demands", he adds.
The agreement on the table is divided into three phases. The first phase involves a six-week ceasefire, during which female, elderly, and injured hostages will be released from Gaza in exchange for a large number of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
Hizbollah Follows Hamas
Last week, it was reported that the extremist movement Hamas had dropped one of its main demands in the negotiations on a ceasefire: that an agreement would mean a total, permanent end to Israel's warfare.
Since the Gaza war began, following Hamas' attack on Israel in October last year, Israel and the Lebanon-based militia group Hizbollah have almost daily been shelling each other.
Shia militia leader Hassan Nasrallah repeats on Wednesday that Hizbollah will follow allied Hamas' decisions in the negotiations and cease its attacks if an agreement on a ceasefire is reached.
